Means for cleaning boilers.



T. G. TURNER.

MEANS FOR CLEANING BOILERS. APPLICATION FILED 05c. 13, 1913.

1,159,625. Patented Nov. 9, 1915.

a r 10 rney- THOMAS G.-TURNER, OF NEW 'YORK, N. Y.

MEANS FOR CLEANING- BOILERS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Nov. 9, 1915.

Application filed December 13, 1913. Serial No. 806,394.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, THOMAS G. TURNER, a citizen of the United States, residing at New York city, in the county and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Means for Cleaning Boilers, of which the following is a clear, full, and exact description.

This invention relates to an improved means for cleaning the accumulated dust and dirt from boiler tubes in a steam boiler.

In carrying out the invention, I provide apertures in the Walls of the boiler setting, preferably in the side walls, through which flexible tubes may be inserted, which tubes are wound on a common drum and connected at one end with the interior of the drum, which in turn is connected with a steam or air supply. The flexible tubes may be of the metallic type or merely rubber hose. When it is desired to clean the tubes of the boiler, the drum is rotated, the tubes are caused to enter between the rows of boiler tubes, and across the boiler. Steam or other fluid pressure is then passed through the drum and through the tubes blowing the dirt oil the tubes on the far side of the entry of the flexible tubes. By r0- tating the drum the tubes are wound up slowly upon its outer surface and at the same time withdrawn across the boiler, the pressure flowing out on the free ends during the travel. Thus, all the tubes are thoroughly cleaned and the dirt blown off the same into the bottom of the boiler where it can there be removed.

The scope of my invention will be pointed out in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings: Figure 1 is a side elevation of the boiler provided with my improved invention. Fig.2 is a sectional view on line 22, Fig. 1, drawn on an enlarged scale. Fig. 3 is a detail sectional view of the boiler wall through which the tubes project, the type of the drum being shown in section. Fig. 4 is a detail of the clip for holding and guiding the tube on its drum.

As shown in the drawings, the boiler 1 is provided with a number of openings 2 in its side wall, each opening being above one set of tubes 3. In suitable bearings 4 there is mounted a drum 5 provided with a hand wheel 6 to rotate the same, and a valve 7 to admit steam thereto which may be operated by a chain 8 on a pulley 9 of the valve stem. Steam or air pressure is admitted to the valve by a pipe 10 which passes through a stuffing box 11, so that the drum 5 may be turned upon the pipe 10, although the pipe 10 remains stationary. The drum 5 is provided with a number of connections 12 arranged one above the other and one for each row of boiler tubes. To each of these connections a flexible hose or flexible tube 13 is connected. This tube passes one or more times around the drum. Its free end is provided with a nozzle 14 and it is projected through the wall of the boiler as shown in Fig. 3. Clips 15 spaced around the drum serve to guide and hold the flexible tube when helically wound upon the drum. Upon rotating the drum the tubes will be projected into and across the boiler when the drum is turned in one direction and will be retraced when the drum is turned in the opposite direction.

In view of the fore part of this specification no further description of the invention is deemed necessary.

I claim as my invention:

1. In combination with a boiler, its tubes, a tube connected with fluid pressure, and means for projecting said tube across the boiler tubes, said means consisting of a drum to which one end of the tube communicates, said tube being flexible, said fluid pressure means connected with the interior of the drum.

2. In combination with a boiler, its tubes, a tube connected with fluid pressure, and means for projecting said tube across the boiler tubes, said means consisting of a drum to which one end of the tube communicates, said tube being flexible, said fluid pressure means connected with the interior of the drum, and supporting guides on the sufiface of the drum to support said flexible tu e.

3. The herein described device consisting of a boiler and its tubes, a rotatable drum, a pressure supply leading into the interior thereof, a series of flexible tubes Wound upon December, one thousand nine hundred and the drum helicaliy and communicating with thirteen.

the interior thereof, said tubes passing through the Wall of the boiler setting and THOMAS TURNER 5 above the boiler tubes, and means for ro- Vitnesses:

tating the said drum. ROBERT RICHTER,

Signed at New York city, this 10th day of MABEL DITTENHOEFER.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, I). G. 

